Agawam Diner becomes movie set

Monday

Aug 20, 2018 at 11:38 AMAug 20, 2018 at 11:58 AM

The Agawam Diner on Route 1 in Rowley becomes a set for the indie movie "Sound of Metal."

It was the Agawam Diner, but it wasn’t.

It still had its trademark red stools and chrome interior, but gone were the local photographs that usually adorn the walls. Ketchup bottles and napkin holders were moved from their usual spots. The candy that is usually for sale was nowhere to be found.

For one night only, the Agawam Diner was Miss Fenton Diner in Fenton, Missouri.

Last Friday the Agawam Diner was transformed into the midwestern eatery as a part of the production for the “Sound of Metal,” an independent film that has been shooting at various locations throughout the North Shore over the past few weeks.

Darius Marder wrote and is directing the film, which stars Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke. The story focuses on a musician who suddenly becomes deaf over the course of a few days and struggles to find his identity.

Sisters Angela Mitchell and Ethel DePasquale who together run the Agawam Diner, a family business originally started in Ipswich, said that they have been approached in the past about using the diner to film movies, but nothing ever materialized.

“We’ve had people say that they are interested in using the diner, but for one reason or another they went with something else,” Mitchell said. “But this production was looking for a real, true diner and we fit the bill.”

To accommodate the filming schedule, the diner closed down after their lunch service on Friday, and remained closed throughout the night while filming took place. The production crew filmed exterior shots of the diner and also filmed several scenes inside, in what was supposed to be a truck-stop-style diner.

“We closed at 3 p.m. on Friday and the crew was there by 4 p.m. to start setting up,” Mitchell said. “They filmed all night and were packed up and gone by 4 a.m., just in time for us to open at 5.”

Mitchell and DePasquale were on site for the entirety of the shoot, staying overnight and going straight to work the next morning.

“It was a long night, but it was so interesting to see all of the work that goes into making a movie,” DePasquale said. “This was just a small part of the movie, but there were so many people there with different responsibilities. Everyone was so nice and professional.”

To make sure the set was completely quiet, everything was turned off, even the air conditioning, on what was an extremely hot night.

“It was so hot and humid that night, but we couldn’t have anything on that would make any noise. Not even a fan,” DePasquale said. “I don’t know how the actors handled it. They were in long pants and jackets with no air conditioning.”

Mitchell and DePasquale were permitted to watch the shoot, which they did from the back of the diner.

“It was hard to tell what exactly was being said, but it looked like the characters were having a little argument,” Mitchell said.

Friday nights are the busiest nights at the diner, so Mitchell and DePasquale were initially hesitant to shut down, but it was the only night that worked for the production schedule.

“We negotiated the rental fee to make sure that we didn’t lose any money by doing this,” Mitchell said. “It was basically the same as if we had been open and serving customers that night.”

There was one thing that the sisters wished they’d negotiated into the contract, though. A photo of the original Agawam Diner, which was located across from the Institution for Savings building in Ipswich before moving to its present location at Route 1 in Rowley in 1970, is displayed on the diner’s wall. It was removed for the shoot, but the Mitchell and DePasquale would like a nod to the diner’s history to be present next time.

“Next time we might ask if we can keep that up, just so people can recognize the diner,” Mitchell said. “But this time I think our friends, family and customers will definitely recognize us either way.”

So far there is no word on a release date for the film, but Mitchell and DePasquale are anxious to see how the diner looks in the movie.